British prime minister Tony Blair was under pressure today from parts of his Labour Party to say when he will throw in the towel after dismal results in local elections.
A combination of sleaze and accusations of political bungling hurt Labour badly at the polls last week as councillors across the country lost seats in local authorities, giving a resurgent Conservative Party its best result since 1992.
Mr Blair, elected for a third time in 2005, has said he will not fight another election and today's newspapers published a letter from rebel Labour lawmakers calling for a clear timetable for a handover.
A poll of 100 Labour MPs showed that exactly half wanted the prime minister to go and a clutch of critics in his party called for his head on morning chat shows.
"So long as Tony Blair remains prime minister the Labour party's position will not recover," Labour MP Frank Dobson told the BBC. "These days he is a problem for us."
However, in a show of unity, high-profile cabinet ministers and senior party officials hit out at the rebels, accusing them of plotting a coup and trying to alter Labour's policies.
Chancellor Gordon Brown, who has long coveted the top job and is tipped to lead Labour into the next national election due by mid-2010, led the way by insisting there would be a smooth handover and a renewal of the party to win back voters.
"We don't need outriders dictating the agenda," he told BBC television